Scores Lost Following Craft Carrying 200 Asylum Seekers Sinks in waters off the Gambian coast.
No fewer than seven individuals lost their lives and a significant number are missing after a boat ferrying around 200 migrants seeking to enter the European continent sank in waters near the Gambian coast, reports confirm.
The boat overturned in the early hours of Thursday close to the village of Jinack in the North Bank area and it was subsequently discovered "grounded on a sandbank", the country's defence ministry stated in a release.
Ninety-six people were pulled to safety and a search is continuing for other passengers who were on board the sunken boat that was heading towards the Canary Islands of Spain.
The perilous journey over the the Atlantic has become an increasingly common route for African asylum seekers attempting to get to European nations.
Nearly 47,000 individuals made it to the Canaries in 2024 and figures suggest over 9,000 migrants have died in the attempt.
Rescue Operation
In the aftermath of the disaster, The Gambian Navy initiated a search operation, deploying multiple navy ships and a fishing vessel that offered help, the military said.
Officials state a number of those who died are not Gambian nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The bodies of the seven individuals who perished at sea have been retrieved, and 10 of those rescued are said to be in critical condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
A Common Migration Route
The Gambia is a frequent corridor used by asylum seekers trying to reach Europe, frequently via dangerous journeys over water and land.
In recent years, the European Union has reached agreements with several Maghreb states with the goal of limiting irregular migration.
